How long after being made redundant before you can claim benfits?

I eventually got made redundant last week so am sat on the sofa watching daytime TV for a bit. Job market is a bit rubbish at the moment but there should be a few things coming up in the new year. Anyway - what's the crack with unemployment benefits? I was unemployed for a couple of months 11 years ago when I left uni but haven't got a clue and don't want to walk into the jobcentre looking like a complete numpty.

Thats not gonna look good on the CV, why dont you spend some time getting the CV polished, maybe even do some courses if you can afford it, dont waste your time watching TV. Start thinking about what you really want to do next and researching companies you would like to work for. I got made redundant in February and found a job within a week, that certainly didn't happen by sitting round watching "Cash in the attic" and Phill and Kirtsy!!

When i claimed i think it was 2 weeks. Its well worth it. I got jobseekers, rent and council tax paid. Plus interview expenses which soon mount up if a company wants you for an interview the next day and you have to get a train in rush hour.

Theres plenty of time for job hunting AND Cash in the Attic / Jeremy Kyle etc.. although daytime TV is designed by the government to make you want to go back to work.

I think you can get unemployment benefit straight away as in effect you have no job through no fault of your own. Also by registering you are also keeping your 'stamp' up to date (not that it will be worth much in the future). On the down side though, it is such a depressing place to go I found it makes you want to find a job just so you don't have to go back there!

I'm waiting to hear back from an Engineering firm in Sydney after two interviews and called in references. The job won't start until the end of Jan / beginning of Feb (if I get it) and since we currently have two under 5s in nursery I'd earn more looking after the kids full time than getting a seasonal job. My CV is fine and I did all the courses I could while I was on consultation.

You can claim immediately but you cannot claim retrospectively unless you've got a really good reason (like being in hospital or something). If you've worked for the last 11 years then you will be able to make an immediate 'contributions based claim', which means that they ignore any savings/redundancy payments and allow you to claim about £300 per month based on the tax you've paid over your career to date. Note that this figure is fixed and not dependent on how much tax you've paid unless you've not paid enough if you see what I mean - it's a threshold level you meet in order to qualify.
A contributions based claim will last six months before you then move to an income based claim, which will assess your eligibility based on household income (including partner's income), other income (rent) and savings. If you then don't qualify for any payment from the DWP, you will still be registered as unemployed and your NI will still be paid by the DWP.
You can't do any voluntary work or attend training courses without that affecting your claim, i.e. you will effectively have to sign off if you want to go on a course or do voluntary work, and then sign back on via the rapid restart claim system.
If you have mortgage insurance, then that will most likely only start 30 days after your last paid day of employment, which will include any payment made in lieu of notice.
The job market is still weak as I am personally finding out. Lots of activity planned for Q1 next year, but a lot of the roles I am talking to recruiters about don't seem to be live just yet.

I was told 1 month before I could sign on, I signed on after the month and was in a new job the next day (not from the job centre, but I was out looking for work and pestering folk for a job). After the sign on meeting I was told that I would have to show evidence of looking for work to ensure my benefit/dole money was paid...anyway, after signing on I turned up the next day to sign off and they told me I couldn't for 2 weeks...and as I had notified them of my redundancy 4 weeks prior they would be backdating my pay - I didn't understand why and didn't ask why), anyway, a week later I got 4 weeks of dole paid into my account - I offered to pay it back as I thought it was a mistake but was told it was correct.

Not sure where you have been looking but there are plenty of jobs going round that will help get money in...they won't need degrees to get them (so therefore aren't overpaid) and they would involve stacking shelves or sweeping floors but there is plenty of work out there to be had to help pay the bills...I believe the post office are looking for temp workers!

I signed on immediately I got made redundant. It doesn't just affect your benefits, it goes down as a gap in your contributions for your government pension as well. Get signed on straight away. Be prepared to have a 16 year old school leaver look down their nose at you like you're some shifty character living off the state instead of someone who was paying into the system before they were born and then wave a shelf stacking job at you and demand to know why you haven't applied for it.

I'm not going to earn £1200 a month after tax stacking shelves at tescos (That's what two kids in full time nursery costs). If the Australia thing doesn't come off, then I'll think about other options.

Take them out nursery and save some cash? Even taking them out for 3 days a week will save some cash (we have talked about this already but it doesn't seem to be sinking in...there are loads of ways to save cash and make cash)...

I've been made redundant a few times.
The second last time I vowed I would never sign on again as I found it a real knock to my confidence going back into job seekers office. With a professional job they couldn’t even find a category for.

But then it happened again and I thought I've been paying my taxes for years wtf. So I called in, they do it all on the phone or internet these days. And then sure you have to go in look like a muppet for 30mins.

It is amazing how quickly savings etc go if you are not working so the small amount you get off the state does make a little difference.
And if nothing else it makes the unemployent figures real.

How you act the first time you go into the office is how you will be treated every time after then.

After been made redundant last year I signed on for the first time since leaving school (when I was 16 you could sign on in June when you left school...) - I took my P45 with me, the guy behind the desk was gobsmacked at how much tax I'd paid, never mind my earnings - and called me 'sir', and after having a discussion with the Manager, so did she, everytime I went in.

For evidence I just printed off a copy of my email 'Inbox' to show application receipts. After 6 months I signed off, as my savings plus wife's income were far too high to get any other cash.

Yep.... sign on straightaway even if you have got redundancy pay or wages in lieu. Don't go into the Jobbie to start with, make a claim over the 0800 number, or on-line and they will then book you an appointment. You don't need your P45 straightaway, but it helps to calculate any refunds when you sign off if you have got one. You CAN do voluntary work but it must be under 16 hours per week, and you need to remain available for and actively seeking employment whilst you carry out the voluntary work. Full details on claiming are on http://www.direct.gov.uk there is even a benefits adviser there which will give you an estimate of the benefits you can claim. You CAN claim if you take voluntary redundancy
Don't worry about looking a complete numpty at the Jobbie, you'll be in good company as about 80% of the customers nowadays are like you and do not have a NVQ in claiming! Good luck!